Beyond the Past (8 page)

Chapter 17

“I’m so happy for you!” Rachel said into the phone as Gabby waited for Jerrod at the café. “He’s such a hottie!”

Gabby laughed. “He is nice on the eyes.”

“Damn straight, girl! You win this one, and you’ll have to let me know about his vanilla wafer.”

“One thing at a time, Rachel.” She laughed again, looking out the café window. She’d woken this morning with her melancholy gone. The sun shone, and it felt so good as it warmed her face. She had to admit, she was also excited about meeting Jerrod for lunch, and the possibility of him putting in an offer on a house today. Honestly, she didn’t know what elevated her mood—the weather, the man, or the potential money.

“It’s not like I’m planning what to wear to your damn wedding,” Rachel scoffed. “You’re going on your first date, and I’m happy for you.”

“It’s kind of a working date.”

“Whatever. Listen, let me know—“

“He’s here. I’ve got to go.” She hung up as Jerrod’s Audi pulled into a parking space. He got out of the car, his long legs carrying him with grace. Yes, he was a little skinny for her tastes, but as he entered the restaurant and their gazes locked, she couldn’t deny his looks stirred something within her.

“Hey,” he said with a grin. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late.”

“It’s okay.” Today, he wore jeans and a red shirt that hugged his chest. He may be thin, but she could see the muscles rippling beneath the garment.

He picked up the menu. “What are you having, lovely Gabby?”

Her cheeks heated at his words, and she picked up her own menu so that he wouldn’t see them redden. The café was a mom and pop operation that had been in business for almost twenty years. They specialized in light, fresh dishes, and every time she had been in there, all twelve tables had been full. “I’m thinking of the apple and walnut salad, or a turkey sandwich.”

“Good choices,” he said, waving the waitress over. “But I think we do need some wine.”

She glanced at the clock on the wall. Two p.m., and she needed to drive back to her house and get ready for her yoga class with Rachel after showing Jerrod this house.

“One glass won’t hurt,” Jerrod chided. “Come on. I have a good feeling about this house.”

He was right—one glass wouldn’t hurt. She’d be fine by the time she needed to strike a downward dog in yoga. “Okay, but just one glass.”

“Of course.”

The waitress came over, and he ordered two glasses of Chardonnay and the turkey sandwich while Gabby opted for the apple and walnut salad.

“Here’s to a mutually beneficial relationship between us,” he said as the waitress served their wine. He raised his glass, and she did the same.

He held her gaze as he sipped the wine. “And maybe, just maybe, there will be something else as well,” he murmured.

Instead of looking away and changing the subject, Gabby didn’t flinch, but she didn’t answer, either. His words caused her heart to beat faster and her stomach to twist in knots. The man excited her.

They talked about the sunny skies, movies, and books. Jerrod was well-read, and they even shared a liking for some of the same authors. They also agreed Hollywood should never, ever turn a book into a movie.

“They never get it right,” Gabby said, sipping her wine.

“I agree. The thing about books is that we each use our own imagination to make them come to life. No actor or director is ever going to be able to satisfy hardcore fans of the book because the movie is their own interpretation. Ten people can read the same book, and you’ll get ten different visions of what that book should look like.”

She smiled. “I couldn’t agree more, Jerrod. You summed it up perfectly.”

He drained his glass. “Thank you. I’m looking to earn bonus points with you.”

Half way through lunch, she needed to use the restroom, and he winked at her as she stood.

Looking her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she pushed her auburn locks behind her ears. “You
are
having a good time with him,” she whispered.

And she was. Jerrod had proved charming, flirty, and he made her laugh with his self-deprecating jokes.

Two engineering students crossing the campus when one said, “Where did you get such a great bike?”

The second engineer replied, “Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes, and said, “Take what you want.”

The second engineer nodded approvingly. “Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn’t have fit.”

And this one made her laugh even harder:

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Maybe it would be okay to see where this thing could go if she took baby steps with him, and if she could just get past the guilt clouding her over Lucas. Why did she feel as though she was cheating on him even when he’d been the one to walk away from what they’d had?

“Because you still love him,” she said. “But you need to push that aside and get on with your life. You’re thirty, for God’s sake, not the lovesick eighteen-year-old you were the first time he left you.”

After using the restroom, she went back to the table. Jerrod had ordered two more glasses of wine.

“I’ve had enough,” she said with a grin.

“Oh, come on, Gabby. It’s a beautiful afternoon that I get to spend with a beautiful woman. Let’s celebrate a little.”

She couldn’t seem to stop smiling around this man. “Well, a couple more sips won’t hurt,” she said, lifting her glass.

“Exactly.” Jerrod tipped his glass toward her. “Here’s to you, gorgeous.”

Their glasses clinked, and she brought the rim to her lips.

Chapter 18

Jerrod offered to drive, which was fine with Gabby, as she had begun to feel a little woozy. Not like being drunk, but more like exhaustion overtaking her.

When they rolled down the gravel driveway to the house, she smiled. It sat perfectly isolated, with large Cedar and Aspen trees surrounding the white structure with the wrap-around porch and a huge front lawn.  She sighed—she had always thought Lucas and she would end up in a home just like this.

Stepping out of the car, she held on to the door for a moment to get her bearings and wondered if she could be getting sick. Why did she feel so unstable?

“Are you okay?” Jerrod asked, coming around to her side of the car.

She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Digging in her purse, she retrieved her lock box key and walked the gravel driveway to the porch. Climbing the stairs, she sent thanks out when she immediately located the lock box as her head had started spinning.

She opened the front door and walked in, Jerrod right behind her. He looked at the entranceway, the smell of fresh paint wafting through the air. The stark white walls didn’t appeal to her as she preferred warmer colors, but as she always told her clients, paint proved the easiest thing to fix. Jerrod’s shoes echoed through the house on the gleaming hardwood floors, a feature she absolutely loved. She followed him as he did a self-guided tour.

“I like this one, as well,” he said, entering the kitchen and smiling at her. “But let’s check out the basement.”

She nodded, not trusting her tongue’s ability to form words.

The stairwell lay right off the living room, and he opened the door for her. The long, dark tunnel didn’t look very inviting.

“I think this is the light over here,” he murmured from behind.

She heard a snap, and the stairwell illuminated.

Gabby grabbed on to the handrail as she took one step at a time, determined not to fall. Obviously, she must be getting sick as her head spun and her body heated as if she had a terrible fever.

When she reached the bottom, she grimaced. The basement hadn’t been completed, and the dirt floors and bare studs smelled musty.

She turned to Jerrod. “This isn’t finished,” she said, hearing the slurring in her voice.

He looked different. The friendly smile had gone, and in its place, a mask of calm. The blue eyes she had once associated with a tropical sea now looked cold and flat, like the Arctic Ocean. Gasping, she took a step back and almost tripped over her own feet.

“I’m very aware of that,” he said, walking toward her. “And this house is just perfect.”

She noticed the fist coming at her, but she didn’t have the reflexes to do anything about it. As it hit her in the side of the face, she saw stars, and so very slowly, she fell to the ground.

The pain radiated throughout her body as she landed, dust rising all around her. As she tried to focus her eyes, Jerrod came into her view, and three of him appeared. The sound of racing blood flowing through her almost deafened her. Jerrod stood above her, straddling her. If she could just get her leg up, she could nearly castrate him with the small heel of her boot, but her limbs didn’t seem to want to follow the directions she mentally gave them.

Her vision doubled as he bent down and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. For someone so slim, he proved very strong, and fear gripped her as she realized she had been drugged—the only explanation to why she hovered so close to unconsciousness. Yes, the punch had jarred her, but she should have been able to fight back.

“What are you doing?” she mumbled, slapping his back, her arms feeling like strands of spaghetti.

“Getting answers, Gabby. Just getting some answers.”

He took her to the back of the basement and tossed her to the dirt floor. “Now, take off your clothes,” he commanded.

She tried to scoot away from him, but her extremities didn’t seem to want to move. Tears streaked down her face as she stared up at him and realized the weight of her situation.

“Not going to do it, huh?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Go fuck yourself,” she muttered, barely able to understand her own words.

“No, Gabby, you are the one that is fucked.”

He raised his fist and slammed it into her face. Blood ran down the back of her throat, and she turned to her side, gagging and coughing. After a moment, blackness encroached on her vision, and although she tried to remain conscious, she passed out as she felt her boot being removed.

Chapter 19

Gabby slowly came to consciousness, her head throbbing. She didn’t know how much time had passed—it could have been minutes, hours, or days. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to listen to what went on around her and heard nothing. She attempted to move her hands and feet; she couldn’t, but small pinpricks ran up and down her arms and legs. Opening her eyes, she realized she’d been tied to a chair, naked. Horror rushed through her as she wondered what the next few hours of her life would entail. Would she die alone, raped and beaten on a dirt floor of a deserted house?

Jerrod stood about five feet away with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at her.

“Where is he, Gabby?” he asked.

She gazed at him as tears blurred her vision. She tried to move her wrists again, but they stayed firmly bound behind the chair. Her only hope remained in that someone else would come by to see the house and be able to help her.

“I asked you a question,” Jerrod said, coming toward her. “Where is he?”

“Who?” she asked, although she had an idea of exactly who he looked for.

He smacked her across the face with an open hand, burning her cheek. She shut her eyes for a moment until the pain passed.

“You know exactly who I’m talking about,” he muttered. “Where’s Lucas?”

Gabby looked up at him. “I don’t know.”

She cried out as he slapped her again.

“Where is he?” he shouted.

Tears tracked down her face as she realized he wouldn’t stop until he got an answer, an answer she didn’t have. “I don’t know,” she whispered, hanging her head. “He left me. I don’t know where he went.”

Jerrod bent down in front of her so she had to look at him. “I don’t believe you,” he whispered, and then hit her on the left side of her torso, knocking the wind from her.

When she caught her breath, he continued. “Now, I’m going to ask you again. Where is he?”

“It’s the truth—I don’t know. He left me six months ago. I don’t know where he is. Why do you want him, anyway? What’s this about?”

“It doesn’t matter what it’s about, Gabby. What matters is that you tell me what you know. I find it very hard to believe that he didn’t tell you where he went. You two have been together since you were teenagers. Lifelong love bullshit.”

She sobbed. Yes, she had thought Lucas was her lifetime love, that they would always be together unless he got killed while deployed. She’d never imagined he would simply walk out on her with the old “it’s me, not you” line.

Jerrod lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. He slowly brought his open hand back and hit her again.

“One last time, Gabby. If you tell me the truth, I won’t hurt you further.”

Like she believed that one. She would die in this nasty basement, alone and beat up, the star of her very own horror movie.

Even if she knew where Lucas could be, she would never give him up. She didn’t know who Jerrod worked for, but if they treated her like this, it made her sick to think of what they’d do to Lucas. Yes, he’d hurt her—almost devastated her, in fact, but she wouldn’t wish this on him or anyone.

“You listen to me, Gabby,” Jerrod murmured as he walked behind her. “I will continue to hit you. But see, I have other means of getting what I want, as well.” His breath brushed her neck as he whispered in her ear. “I do find you very pretty, and I’d like nothing more than to fuck you. If I need to screw you over and over and over again until you break and tell me what I need to know, then I will.”

Her stomach lurched, and she threw up down her torso.

“Of course, we’ll need to wipe that off. I’m not a complete animal,” he said, pinching her nipple, sending ripples of pain throughout her body. “However, maybe when my cock is pressing against the back of your throat and you’re chocking on my cum, maybe then, you’ll be willing to tell me what you know about Lucas’s whereabouts.”

Gabby vomited again, this time turning to the left, and she managed to land some on Jerrod’s shoe. Despite her dire situation, she actually smiled.

“You think about that for a while, Gabby,” he said, walking toward the door.

“Someone will find me,” she mumbled, her head swimming.

He turned at the bottom of the stairs and switched off the light, plunging her into darkness, a small ray of light coming from the doorway at the top of the stairs.

“No, they won’t, Gabby. My employer owns this house. We put it on the market so you would show it to me. Once we confirmed it was on your goddamn list, my superiors took it off the listings. No one will find you. You can scream, yell, cry . . . it won’t matter. I’m the only one who knows where you are.”

She listened as he made his way up the staircase, his footfalls echoing through the empty space. The door above shut, and her last kindle of hope flickered out as the room plunged into total darkness.

“Oh, my God,” she mumbled as the tears streamed down her face. “What did you do, Lucas?”